Friendship

Did you ever hear someone else say that they don’t need friends or that they can live without friendship? Not everyone believes they need friendship in life.

I believe friendship sustains an individual, in other words keeps a person going. Developing a close friendly bond with another person can be beneficial to you and the person. I would define a friend as someone who I can put my full trust in, someone I can talk to about things that I know can’t be expressed to anyone else. I would define a friend as someone who would be there when I am feeling the lowest of the low and that friend is there ready to comfort me, give me advice, and take action on my behalf. It doesn’t even have to be when times are tough that my friend should be there even to commend me in my achievements and to share laughter with one another.

I formed this belief over the last seven years of my teenage life. When I was in the 10th grade my best friend was in a state of depression. I could look at her and tell that she wasn’t herself. Following the depression my friend had soon to become suicidal. She would often state how she didn’t want to exist on this world anymore and that no one cared about her. When she first told me that she wanted to commit suicide I became lost I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t want to call some kind of hotline and cause some kind of commotion when that could be prevented. I also just didn’t want to do anything besides she is my best friend.

As a friend I was there for her as a comforter to let her know that suicide is not the answer. I was there to talk about her problem and we worked it out together. I help her to find her solutions to her problem. I was there for my friend by letting her know she wasn’t alone. Friendship allows us to be more than just counselors to each other. With friendship you can be more personal and open. I realized through this experience that being there for a friend is taking action even when I am not sure what to do instead of sitting around thinking about what she is going to do on her own.

Friendship is also priceless, so why not have the gain of someone building me up through life; I never know she may have to save my life. Friendship also gives me hope that someone else cares besides your parents and relatives. My best friend and I can learn from each other and live for each other, if not for anyone else. That’s why I believe friendship sustains an individual.

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This week’s essay

Growing up in the former Yugoslavia, lawyer Djenita Pasic enjoyed the peace of her religiously diverse country. But after the fall of communism and the outbreak of the Bosnian War, Pasic was forced to reevaluate her ideas about religion and tolerance. Click here to read her essay.